Apparatus for testing enameled wire



March 20, 1945. c. B. LAPE ET AL l APPARATUS FOR TESTING ENAMELED WIRE Filed Dec. 3, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet l ummm WSI l |NvENToR5 S SS IT'E Es; 7 1

March 20, 1945. c. B. LEAPE ET AL 2,372,093

APPARATUS FOR TESTING ENAMELED WIRE Filed Deo. 3, v1942 4 SheetS-Sheet 2` .f y?" Bry/WMM( March 2o,` 1945.

C. B. LEAPE ET AL APPARATUS FOR TESTING ENAMELED WIRE Filed Dec. 3, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 .A NE SEIS: L/ 7.

` INVENTRS `C. B. LEAPE ET AL 2,372,093

APPARATUS Fn TESTING ENAMELED WIRE March 20, 1945.

Filed Dec. 3, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 20, 1945 APPARATUS FOR TESTINGENAMELED WIRE Charles B. Leape and Gerald R. Haywood, Forest Hills, Pa., assignors to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 3, 1942, Serial No. 467,736

15 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for testing enameled wire coatings in order to determine their physical properties. In particular, this invention is directed to an apparatus for determining the `toughness and hardness of applied enamels on conductors and the like. While the apparatus' is most useful for determining the properties of enamel coatings on conductor wires to be employed in electrical ap.- paratus, it is suitable for determining the physical properties oi other types of coating compositions and organic finishes which may be applied to test wire specimens of suitable design for use in the apparatus.

An important characteristic of an enameled coating is its toughness. The toughness of the enamel coatingfgreatly determines the extent to A which the conductor withithe applied coating can be stretched and deformed or subjected to other physical abuse without the enamel cracking or separating from the conductor. Therefore,l an accurate determination of the relative toughness of such coatings is an important factor in selecting enamel wire or enamels for any given purpose.

It is usually accepted in the art that the best single measure of the toughness of enameled coatings is its resistance to scraping or abrasion un-v wire is placed between the weighted knife edge and anviland the enameled wire is drawn under the knife edge. A visual examination of the enameled coating is made to determine whether or not the coating had been completely removed. Ii

Athe enamel `has not been removed or scraped oil? by the knife edge, a second sample of the same material is prepared and a heavier load applied to the knife edge. .The tested wire is again examined visually to determine whether or not the enamel had been removed. Eventually a load high enough to 'remove the wire enamel is applied and the weight of this load is taken as the scrape resistance of the enamel.

It has been discovered that scrape values produced by the use of a manual testing device of this kind are quite erratic and not easily duplicated. The personal factor is exceedingly high and different individuals running a test secure unexpectedly large variations in scrape values for the same type of enameled wire. As an example of the erratic and undependable results with hand-operated Scrapers, the following table is typical. The wire which was usedv for this test was size No. 19, 0.0377" in diameter, and was rated as a 25 oz. scrape enamel'wire by a control laboratory. The testing scraper was a standard type 0f apparatus employed in the laboratories ofdmost of the industry.

` TABLE I- A. Nomial rate 0J pull Abraded Eiect 011 4 sides braded-. l side abraded...

1 side partially oil. 3 sids oil.

4 sides od.

Do. Do.

. Fast rate (about double normal) of pull Abraded Eect 0!! None oil.

Do. Do.

Do. Do. Do.

And 4 sides partially od.

C. Changed angle of pulling Abraded Eilect' Oi! None ofi.

The notation "abraded" inthe table indicates completely removed under the knife edge and the copper had been reached throughout the entire pull. In portion C of the table the wire was pulled up slightly during the test instead of applying a substantially horizontal direction of pull.

It will be seen that the results to be obtained by the use of the manually operated tester are subject to great variations depending on the rate at which the enameled wire is pulled past the knife edge as Well as the direction in which it is pulled.4 These results do not indicate all the defects of this prior art type of apparatus but are indicative of some of the more obvious faults of the devices.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for testing the physical properties of applied coatings on wire under such conditions that highly accurate and reproducible results are secured.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for testing enameled Wire coatings automatically to give the physical property characteristics for a plurality of `sides or areas of a single test specimen.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for determining the physical properties of enameled wire coatings that automatically gives an indication with substantially no time lag upon failure of the coating.

Other objects of the invention will, in part,

be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

For a fuller understanding ofthe nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description and drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the entire testing apparatus or machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation, partly in section, of the wire drawing chuck;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing the driving motor and chuck;

Fig. 6 is a partially broken fragmentary elevation of a thermostatically controlled enclosure for the testing machine;

Fig-7 is an enlarged elevational view of a conductor after being subjected to test;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken'on line VIII--VIIL of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective View of the scrape testing unit of the machine;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view in elevation of the pressure head;

Fig. 11 is a view in elevation of one of the guide rollers in the testing head;

Fig. 12 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary view,

partly in section, of the bottom portion of the pressure head; and,V J

Fig. 13 is a view Yin side elevation of a weight. yAccording to this invention, a testing apparatus or machine has been produced that will test the scrape resistance of applied enamel coatings A,

on wire or similar members in Such a manner that highly accurate and reproducible results are secured. Among the features of this testing device are an accuratelyl controlled rate of pull or drawing of the wire being tested under a suitably loaded pressure head, and a highly accurate maintenance of direction of pull ofthe wire. A

Yfurther 'feature is secured by so manipulating the wire under test that a plurality of sides of the same wire are subjected to the load in a single test. In order to secure an immediate, accurate and automatic determination of whether or not the enamel coating has failed, a highlysensitive indicating means having substantially no time lag has been included in the apparatus. f Numerors other desirable features are present, as will` A to position B in Fig. 1.

- The reciprocable member i6 carries a chuck Ia forgripping the enameled or coated wire |00 which is to be tested. The chuck i8 is rela tively rotatable about the axis of the wire under test with respect to the Areciprocable member IS. A follower 20 on the chuck controls the degree and amount of rotation of the chuck I8 in the member I6 in cooperation with the cam means 22 mounted on the base member I2 adjacent guides I4. The cam means` 22 comprises a plurality of sections 24, 28, 32 and 36 substantially parallel to the guideway I4 and the direction of reciprocation of the member I6. The' cam members 24. 28, 32, and 3G, however, are each disposed successively substantially apart with respect to the `airis of the wire being tested. Intermediate these four parallel cam sections are a plurality oi acutely angled sections 26, 30 and 34. Two intermediate support members 2S are applied to the cam means 22 adjacent the cam section 30. Under the urging of a spring 'III (Fig. 4) the follower 20 on the chuck I8 is controlled b-y the several sections oi the cam means 22 to take different degrees of relative rotation as the reciprocable member I5 traverses the guideway from position A to position B. At the initial position A the follower 20 engages cam section 24 for several inches of linear travel during which the chuck I8 is relatively non-rotatable. Upon reaching angled section 26 of the cam the follower 20 is rapidly rotated until cam section 28 is engaged by the follower. The acute angle of section 26 restrains -a violent jar when follower 20 engages section 28. For several inches of rearward movement, the chuck I8 is held nonrotatable by section 28 of the cam engaging follower 20'. On reaching angled section 3i] of the cam, a second relatively rapid rotation occurs until upon engaging portion 32 of the cam the chuck is Aagain non-rotatable for several more inches of linear movement. Finally, the follower 20 moves relatively rapidly on reaching angled section 34 of the cam. No relative rotation of chuck I8 occurs in the final stage of the linear movement of the reciprocable member I8, during whichA time the follower 20 engages straight section 36. Thus in a complete reciprocation of the member I6 from position A to position B, the chuck I8 assumes four distinct positions 90 apart separated by three periods in which the chuck is rapidly rotated to a succeeding non-rotatable position. Wire held by the chuck is rotated in accordance with this movement wherebyfour different sections of each wire are tested during a complete reciprocation from A to B.

In returning the reciprocable member from 'position B to position A prior to initiating a subsequent test, the follower 28 is manually engaged and turned counter-clockwise as viewed from the right-hand side of Figs. 1 and 2. The follower 28 is` held in this position for a. short, distance on its return path until the follower 28 isbelow and engages the end 31 of the guide 38. The-guide 38 keeps the follower 28 from springing upward and engaging any of the portions of cam 22 in its return path.y Upon approaching position A e by means of the arm 44 mounted on thebracket 48 upstanding from the platform 58 supported in spaced relation to the base |2. The anvil 48 is also 4attached to platforml 58. Pivotally supported'on platform 58 is a rest 46 engaging arm 44 for supporting pressure head 42 some distance f above the anvil 48 in order that wire |88 being tested may be easily insertedl into the chuck I8 or removed therefrom. The rest 46 may be disengaged from the arm 44 by manually moving the rest 46 counter-clockwise from the position shown in Fig. l. A notch 46 is present in arm 44 for engagement with the rest 46. Rest 46 may be manually rotated clockwise to cam arm 44 up until notch 45 is engaged.

At the front of the base member I2 is located a enameled wire coating. The operation of the signal device 54 will be more fully detailed hereinafter. Likewise located on the front of the base member I2 is an electrical switch member 56 for turning current on and olf from the several electrical members of the apparatus. Signal lamp |68 indicates whether the current is on or off. Mounted on base I2 isa reversing switch 58 whose operation will -be more fully detailed hereinafter.

For a -more .complete description of the reciprocable member I6 and the chuck I8, reference should be had to Fig. 4 which is an enlarged view partly in section. The chuck I8 is nonrotatably attached to the head 68 through thel 18 which may be of any convenient design but is shown as a spiral spring in the illustration. One

end of the spring 18 is iixed to the reciprocable member I6 by the pin 14 while the other end of the spring is fixed to the `head 68 by the screw 12.."--The reciprocable member I6 is fixed to a guide rack 16 by fastening means 18. Guide rack 16 engages the guides I4 for movement thereon.

Referenceshould be had to Fig. 5 for an illustration of thelpower means for driving the reciprocable member at a predetermined rate from positions A to"B on the guideway I4. The guide rack 16v carrying the Areciprocable member I6 is driven back and forth by the gear 88 meshing therewith. The kgear 88 is mounted on drive shaft 82 to which it is operatively but yieldably fastened by the Belleville spring washer 84, a comman washer 86, and a threaded nut 88 engaging threads on shaft 82. The Belleville spring washer 84 may be so tightened .by the nut 88 that a considerable frictional force is present to drive the gear 88 from shaft 82 under normal circumstances. In case of overloads or otherwise, the shaft 82 is capable of slipping with respect to the gear 88, thereby preventing damage to the chuck head or other parts of the apparatus. The nut 88 may be held-in any desired .position of threaded adjustment on shaft 82 by the set screw 98.

'I'he motor 92 is a conventional geared-down type'of motor. A satisfactory type of motor is a double worm reduction motor capable of driving the rack'ata rate of the order of 2" a second. The motor'and gear 88 are located within the base member I2 in a suitable position to engage the underside of the rack 16 and cause the rack to reciprocate in accordance with the position i switches have been incorporated into an organization. Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings,

v there is illustrated this organization. A source .40. signal device 54 for indicating the failure of the of power |28, for example, 110 volts, (S8-cycle alternating-current, is used tooperate the mechanism. Other sources of electrical-energy, such as direct current from either batteries or a suitable generating source, will require the substitution of equivalent functioning means for those shownin Fig. 3.

Alternating current from power lines |28 is conducted to motor 82 by conductors |22 and4 |24. The reversing switch 58 provides for flow of current in either conductor |36 or |31 to'cause the motor 92 to operate in one direction or the other,- as desired. In causing the motor to operate clockwise as seen in Fig. 3, current from conductor |24 passesthrough limit switch |26 and conductor |32 to the reversingswitch 58 from which it will now through conductor |36. 'I'he limit switch |26 is normally closed, but is opened when the guide rack 16 and reciprocable member I6 are at the position` B of Fig. 1 at which `point stop member |38 engages the switch.v The limit switch |26 prevents the operation of the motor to move the reciprocable member further to the right of position B. Current from conductor |24 may also liow to safety switch |21,

thence to a second limit switch |28, to conductor |34 and to conductor |31 to causethe motor to operate in a direction retrograde of that produced when current ows in conductor |36.

v'rnesafa'y switch f |21, also shown in Fig. 2,

is operated by the follower 28 on the-reciprocable member I6 when the member I6 is at position B. The purpose of the safety switch |21 is to prevent operation of the motor 82 upon reversing switch 58 to move reciprocable member I6 in the direction B--A in which case the follower 28'would automatically strike cam member 34 and possibly suffer damage. The second limit switch |28- when engaged by stop member |38 halts the electric motor 92 upon the reciprocable this time.

of hundredths of an inch, perform quite suc-l cessfully in this service. The operation of the motor -driving circuit` over a complete cycle is as follows. The reciprocable member |6 and chuck |8 are initially at position A with the stop member |30 engaging limit switch |28 to disrupt current flow in conductor |24 to conductor |34. The reversing switch 58 is at its extreme left-hand position at After a test wire has been inserted in chuck |8 the pressure head 42 is released, and the test is to be initiated, the reversing switch 58 is movecl to its extreme position to the right,

connecting conductor |24,Y limit switch |26, and

conductor |32 with conductor |36. The motor 92 operates in a clockwise manner as viewed in Fig. 3. The rack 16 and the reciprocable mem vcounter-clockwise direction and the reversing switch 58 is moved to its extreme left position. The motor rotates in a counter-clockwise direction since current will fiow from conductor |24 through safety switch |21, through limit switch |28, and conductor |34 to conductor |31. The follower need be held for only a small distance after the head begins its movement to the left. Upon reaching position A the stop member again engages the limit switch.|28, breaking the circuit and causing the motor92 to cease operating. v

To provide for giving an indication of a failure of the enamel coating on wire during the test an electrical circuit has been developed using an indicating device having substantially no time lag. This feature is important since a minute failure of the coating would not actuate indieating devices having appreciable time lag for their operation. As shown in Figure 3, current from the power source |20 is fed to the transformer |54 by means of conductors |50 and |52. The switch 56 provides for shutting the apparatus off when not in use. The glow lamp |58 is present in Tthe secondary circuit |56 of the transformer |54 to indicate that the transformer is in operation. A rectifier |56 is employed to. produce direct current for the purpose of operating the indicating device. Connected to the rectifier is one terminal of a gas glow lamp 54. A gas glow lamp is selected since it has substantially no time lag as well as requiring an ex-' ceedingly small electrical current of the order of I0 milliamperes to cause it to function.

An electronic relay device |60 is connected to Ihe gas glow lamp 54 through its output circuit or furnishing current to the other line terminal of the lamp 54. The input circuit of the electronic relay |60 consists of the conductor |62. a high resistance |64 of the order of 5000 ohms,

a source of direct-current voltage |66, and the conductor |63. The input circuit is so adjusted with respect to the relay device |60 that the relay device is in balance under normal circumstances and no current ows in the output circuit. In parallel with the resistance and source of power |66 is-a conductor |10 connected to the testing head 42 and a conductor |66 electrically connected to the reciprocable member' I6 and chuck |8. The conductor |00 is in conductive contact with the chuck I8 whereby on failure of the enameled coating on conductor |00, current will flow from the source |66 to the pressure y head, thereby disturbing the balance in conducf tioned above the anvil 40 is the pressure head 42 mounted on arm 44 for relative vertical movement to the anvil in the plane of the direction of movement of the wire during testing. The arm 44 may be supported in a position above the normal operating position of the `head 42 by means o-f rest 46 engaging in slot 45 of the arm. The pressure head when elevated by the Vrest permits the insertion of wire |00 into the chuck |8 and its convenient removal. The bifurcated bracket 48 pivotally engages the end of arm 44 for the vertical movement of the a-rrn and head 42.

In order to provide for a predetermined direction o f movement of coated wire being tested, guide rollers 300 are mounted upon platform 50 in alignment with the anvil 40. The rollers 300 keep the wire being tested in a given horizontal and vertical plane. As shown in detail in Fig. 1l, the guide rollers 300 comprise trunnions 302, a larger cylindrical portion 304 and a centrally grooved section 306 in which the wire under test rides. 'I'he trunnions 302 flt into appropriate apertures in blocks 308 fixed to the support 50. The wire guiding grooved section 306 is shown in Fig. 11 as consisting of a rounded channel. `Fine wire will ride at the bottom of the rounded groove 306 and heavier wire will ride on the bottom and extend well up the sides of the groove 306. lIn some cases thegroove 306 may be preparedas a square channel without any radius.

A detailed view of the pressure head 42 is shown in Figs. 10.and l2. The pressure head 42 includes a main cylindrical body 3|0 having a suitable aperture 3|| at one side, into which arm 44 is fitted. Below the main body 3|0 an inverted conical section 3|2 is present. A pin or lug 3|4 at the top of the main body 3|0 provides for the secure positioning of additional weights to the pressure head 42 whereby to sccure any desired weight on the head. These additional weights, are similar to 350 as shown in Fig. 13 and have an aperture 352 fitting pin 3|4. Pin 354l is similar to pin 3|4. The extreme bottom of the pressure head 42 consists of a 'channelled portion 3|5 having two flat faces 3|6 normally resting on the anvil 40 when no Wire is under test. Extending transversely across tie channel 320 of the bottom portion 3I5 is the scape member or knife edge 3|8 proper which The scrape member 3I8 is most conveniently a f wire of a suitable hard metal, for example, piano Wire or a tungsten carbide wire, where a long life is desired. y

Fig. 12 is a greatly magnified view of a crosssection of the bottom portion of the pressure head 42 showing the relation of the parts to one another. The channel 320 consists' of two sloping surfaces 324 and 322 sloping away from the point of contact with the scrapefmember 3I8. Preferably, the sloping surface 324 forms a rela- 1 tively large angle to the face 3I6. This provides for the accumulation of a large quantity of enamel .scrapingsand the like without interfering withjthe operation of the pressure head 42. 'The wire 3I8 is disposed' in' a groove 326 of such dimensions that the wire is a few thou-- sandths of an inch or other convenient distance above the faces 3I6. Thus whenever the pressure head 42 is resting on'the anvil, no load will 2 be imposed on the wire 3I8 thereby preventing damage to the wire or anvil. In the prior art typepressure heads, scrape wires have been attached to pressure members only at both ends,

leaving the center portion of thewire free. This freedom results in the wire being flexed or bowed during each test. This is an undesirable feature, since it results in uncontrollable forces :being set up. Undue wear of the hard metal wire also occurs. V

The wire 3 I8 is permanently attached throughout its entire length at the point of contact with the bottom of groove -326 by soldering, brazing or an equivalent permanent attachment. Excess solder which may have crept up the sides of the wire 3I8, particularly the portion extendingin the channel 320, should be removed by carefullyv scraping or sand papering the excess solder away. An extremely rigid scrape member 3I8 is produced by following this practice. rIhe advantages of the construction shown -in Fig. 12 are obvious and will result in a. prolonged life for the scrape member with increased accuracy andv dependability over prior art types of members.

Referring to Figs. 'l and 8 of the drawings, there'is shown in detail the results secured by testing an enamelled wire in the testing machine described herein. The wire consists of an electrical conductor |02 of copper, for example. and an applied enamel coating |04. The illustration depicts a coating which was completely scraped off under the action of the pressure head 42. From Fig. 'I it will be evident, that the portion I06 was completely scraped oil. At portion |08 the wire was rotated by the chuck approximately 90 and the wirel was drawn fora second distance linearly to produce the scraped -area IIO. The wire was rotated at II2 for 90 and the wire was scraped linearly for -the distance II4 and finally the wirev was rotated a third 90 at II6 and the. bottom section of the wire was scraped at I I8. It will be seen that four sides of each conductor under test will be tested instead of the usual 'one side testing that is accomplished in conventional apparatus. It will be understood that reater or lesser number of sides o'f any given enameled wire may be tested during one test. For example, 6 or even 8 sides may be tested Y'by providing a suitable number of cams 22 on the testing machine. If it is desired to test enameled wire under conditions of temperature or atmosphere differtrol housing or enclosure 200 may be applied to the top of the testing machine I0 as shown in Fig. 6.` The temperature control housing 200 extends substantially the full length of the machine and may be prepared of suitable heat insulating materials 202. For the purposes of keeping the mechanism under observation,. a window 204 is provided in the front face of the housing 200. A hinged door 206 is provided for inserting and removing wire from the chuck I8 as tests are lbeing made. To provide for heating the interior of the thermostatic cover, a heating element 208 and control therefor 2|0 are provided. The control 2| 0 is preferably of the type that may be adjusted to give any predetermined temperature. is applied to the housing whereby the temperature may be kept under observation. A fan and motor 2I6 may be put inside the housing to secure a uniform temperature therein. To provide for rotating the chuck I 8 when the reciprocable member I6 has reached the B position, a. handle 220 is provided to rotate a shaft extending through the walls of the housing at the bushing 2I8. The handle 220 rotates the shaft tor which is fixed a lever 222 engageable with the follower (not shown in Fig. 6) inside the housing. Changes in design, proportion, size of the temperature control housing, .will be obvious and need not be detailed herein'.

In employing the testing apparatus, a sample of enameled wire |00 of suitable length is cut from a length to be tested. One end is sand papered, or scraped with a knife, or otherwise freed of the insulating enamel and the end of the conductor so prepared is put into the jaws 64 of the chuck I8 and the sleeve 66 applied to' tighten the jaws to gripthe conductor firmly. 'I'he reciprocable member I6 will be at position A. Pressure head 42 will be loaded with weights 350 as desired. The pressure head will be in an elevated position since it is supported by rest 46.

` The rest 46 is moved manually counter-clockwise until the pressure head rests on the conductor |00 withthe scrape wire 3I8 in contact with the insulation. The switch 56 is turned to pon" position and the reversing switch 58 is turned to the extreme right position to provide for movement of the reciprocable member from A to B. In the movement of thevreciprocable member'IB, the follower 20 will guide the rotation of chuck I8 in a number of successive linear paths and an intermediate number of rotations giving a number of 90 turns to the chuck. When position B has been reached by the reciprocable member, the safety switchand the limit switch will cause the reciprocable member to stop. The sleeve 66 of the chuck I8 is turned to cause the jaw 64 to open and the tested wire is removed. During the test whenever the enamel coating fails, the gas glow lamp 54 will flicker or give off light indicating failure? If the coating does not fail, then a second sample will need to be tested, with a suitable additional weight 350 being placed on testing head 42on pin 3I4. The reciprocable .member I6 is returned to the A position by' rst ent from those corresponding to room tempera-/gffdtermined speed during the test, thereby avoidture and room conditions, a. temperature conf ing errors in test due todiiferences in speed at The thermometer 2 I 2 which the wire is tested, as in manual devices. The chuck I8 is aligned with the guide rollers 300 and the anvil 4.0 whereby the wire is tested in a predetermined position, thereby avoiding errors due to misalignment. The pressure head 42 is pivotally mounted in alignment with the direction of movement of the wire being tested, and it will not bind .due to the wire being' drawn by the head as has occurred with other types of pressure heads. A further advantage is the testing of a pluralityof sides of the same conductor. As is well known to those working in the art, it is diflicult to apply enamel to wires in an absolutelyuniform manner. By testing a plurality of sides of given wire, itis possible more accurately to determine the physical condition' of the enamel on each of the sides. As an example of the results obtained by the use of the apparatus I0, the following table is exemplary.

The enamelled wire tested was a part of the coil of enamelled `wire that was employed in preparing Table I.

TABLE II It has been found in practice that the scrape testing machine of this invention is accurate to give scrape values to an ounce, that is, the machine will give signicant results when the weight on the pressure head is varied by one ounce. By comparison, the manually operated testers cannot be depended on to this extent.

Since certain changes in carrying out the above processes and certain modifications in the apparatu's which embodies the invention may be made without departing from` its scope, it is intended that all the matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Therefore, it is desired that the invention be interpreted as broadly as possible and that it be limited only by what is set forth in the following claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. Apparatus for testing the abrasion and scrape resistance of applied electrically insulating coatings onwire or the like, comprising, in combination, a base member provided with a lin- Aear guideway, a reciprocable mem'berhaving a chuck for gripping the wire being tested, the reciprocable member engaging theguideway for movement thereon, a .driving means, the reciprocable member operatively connected to the driving means for movement along the linear guideway at a predetermined speed, an anvil member and an associated pressure member capable of applying pressure tol wire under test so located onthe base member with respect to the guideway and chuck that wire gripped by the chuck may be removed linearly across the anvil and pressure member under substantially similar conditions of relative position throughout the entire.

movement, a means for indicating the failure of the coating on the wire and a source of power in circuit relation with the pressure member, the chuck, the means for Vindicating and the Wire being tested whereby when the insulating coating on the wire fails under pressure from the pressure member while being moved by the chuck the indicating means will be operated by the source of power. f

2'. Apparatus for testing the Vabrasion and scrape resistance of applied electrically insulating coatings on wire or the like, comprising, in combination, a base member provided with a linear guideway, a reciprocable member having a chuck for gripping the wire being tested, the reciprocable member engaging the guideway for movement thereon, a driving means, the reciprocable member operatively connected to the driving means for movement along the linear guideway at a'predetermined speed, an anvil member and an associated pressuremember capable of applying pressure to wire under test so located on the base member with respect to the guideway and chuck that Wire gripped by the chuck may be removed linearly across the anvil and pressure member under substantially similar conditions of relative position throughout the entire movement.

3. Apparatus for testing the abrasion and scrape resistance of applied electrically insulating coatings on Wire or the like', comprising, in combination, a base member provided with a linear guideway, a reciprocable member having a' rotatable chuck for gripping the Wire being tested, the

reciprocable member engaging the guideway for movement therein, a driving means, the reciprocable member opera-tively connected to the driving means for movement along the linear guideway at a predetermined speed, means for rotating the chuck at predetermined positions along the guideway to cause wire being tested to be rotated, an anvil member and an associated pressure member capable of applying pressure to wire under test so located on the base member with respect to the guideway and chuck that wire gripped by the chuck may be moved linearly across the anvil and pressure member under substantially similar conditions of relative position throughout the entire movement, a means for indicating failure of the coating on the wire and a source of power in circuit relation with the pressure member, the chuck, the indicating means, and the wire being tested, whereby when the insulating coating on the wire fails under pressure` from the pressure member while being moved by 'che chuck, the indicating means will be operated by the source of power.

4. Apparatus for testing the abrasion and .scrape resistance of applied electrically insulating coatings on wire or theA like, comprising, in

combination, a base member provided with a linear guideway, a reciprocable member having a rotatable chuck for gripping the wire being tested, the reciprocable member engaging theguideway for movement therein. a driving means, the reciprocable member operatively connected tothe driving means for movement along the linear guideway at a predetermined speed, means for rotating the chuck at predetermined positions along the guideway to cause wire being tested to be rotated, an anvil member and an associated pressure member capable of applyingpressure to wire under test so located on the base member with respect to the guideway and chuek that wire gripped by the chuck may be moved linearly across the anvil and pressure member under substantially similar conditions of` relativeposition l throughout the entire movement.

rotatable chuck for gripping the wire being test--y ed, the reciprocable member engaging the guideway for movement therein, a driving means, thev reciprocable member operatively connected to the driving means for movement along the linear guideway at a predetermined speed, spring means attached-to the reciprocable member and the rotatable chuck to providefor relative rotation of thechuck, a follower on the chuck and a cam means on the base member cooperatively associated therewith to control the amount of the ro# tation of the chuck under the influence of the spring in accordance with the position of the reciprocable member along the guideway, an anvil member and an associated pressure member capable of applying pressure to wire under test so located on the base member'with respect to the guideway and chuck that wire gripped by the chuck may be moved linearly across the anvil and pressure member under substantially similar conditions of relative position throughout the entire movement, means for'indicating failure of the coating on the wire, and a source of power in electrical circuit relation with the pressure member, the chuck, the indicating means, and the 'wire being tested whereby when the insulating coating on the wire fails under pressure from the pressure member while being moved by the chuck the indicating means will be operated by the source oi power.

6. Apparatus for testing the abrasion and' scrape resistance of appliedelectrically insulating coatings on wire, or the like comprising, in

5,5 being tested, whereby when the insulating coat- I combination, a base member provided `with av linear guideway, a reciprocable member having a, chuck for gripping the wire being tested, the reciprocable member engaging the .guideway for movement therein, a driving means, the reciprocable member operatively connected to the driving means for movement along the linear guideway at a predetermined speed, a source of power to'energize the driving means, means for connecting the source of power to the driving means including a plurality of means for connecting and disconnecting the source of power from the driving means,at least one of the connecting and disconnecting means being located at each end of the guideway and operable by the reciprocable member to disconnect the sourceof power' when the reciprocable member reaches predetermined positions on the guideway, an an-l vil member and an'as'sociated pressure memberk capable of applying pressure to wire under test sov located on the base member with respect to the guideway and chuck that wire gripped by the chuck the indicating means will be operated by the source of power.

7. Apparatus for testing the abrasion andscrape resistance of applied electrically insulating coatings on wire or the like comprisingfin combination, a base member provided with aelin ear guideway, a reciprocable member having.

chuck for gripping the wirfe' being tested, the re-i.; ciprocable member engaging the guidewayjfor; movement therein, a driving means, the recipre cable member operatively connected to the div ing means for movement along the linear guide? way at a predetermined speed, an anvil member and an associated pressure member capable of,

applying pressure to wire under vtest so located on the base member with` respect to the guideway and chuck that wire gripped-by the chuck may be-moved linearly across the anvil and pressure member under substantially similar conditions of relative position throughout vthe entire movement, a means for indicating failure of the coating on the wire, a source of power in electricalcircuit. relation with the pressure member, the chuck, the indicating means, and the wire ing onthe wire fails under pressure from the pressure member while beingmoved by the ature responsive control memberfor the heating element to provide for maintaining a predetermined temperature, within the housing and an air circulating member in the housing. A

. 8. In an apparatus for testing the physical lproperties of applied coatings onwire, a reciprocable member, a chuck for holding the `wire carried by .the reciprocable member, the chuck being so disposed that it maybe rotated on the reciprocable member, means vfor rotating the chuck and means for controlling the rotation of the chuck in relation withv the movement 'of the reciprocable member.

9. In an apparatus for testing the physical properties cf applied coatings on wire, a base member having a linear guideway, a reciprocable member mounted in the guideway for linear movement, a chuck for holding the wire carried by the reciprocable member, the chuck being so disposed that it maybe rotated on the reciprocable member, means for rotating the chuck, a follower on the chuck for controlling the rotamember restraining the follower for predetermined rotation of the chuck, the cam means inchuck may be moved linearly across the anvil and pressure member under substantially simi' lar'conditlons of relative position throughout the entire movement. a means for indicating failure oi' the coating on the wire, and a ce of power in electrical circuit relation withvthe pressure member, the chuck, the indicating means, and the wire being tested, whereby when the insulating coating on the wire fails under pressure from L-he lpressure member while being moved by thev cluding a plurality of linear portions parallel to the guideway thereby providing for non-rotation of the chuck when the follower is in contact therewith and other portions of the cam means so arranged that the follower executes a rotation of a fraction of a complete turn between successive linear portions whereby the wire gripped in the chuck is rotated to successively different positions.

10. In an apparatus for testing the physical properties `of applied coatings on wire, a base member having a linear guideway, a reciprocable member mounted in the guideway for linear movement, a chuck for holding the wire* carried by the reciprocable member, the chuck being so disposed that it may be rotated on the reciprocable membena spring means having one end attached to the chuck and the other end atrotating the chuck, a follower on the chuck for f controlling the rotation of the chuck and a cam means on the base member 4restraining the followerl for predetermined rotation of the chuck, the cam means including a plurality of linear portions parallel to the guideway thereby providing for non-rotation of the chuck when the follower is in contact therewith, and inclined portions on the cam means between the linear portions, the inclinedportions so arranged that the follower is constrained to rotate at a predetermined speed to a succeeding linear portion, whereby when the chuck and wire held therein are travelling linear-ly along'the guideway the wire is rotated a fraction of a complete turn between successive linear portions ofthe cam and does not turn when the follower engages the 1inear portions of the cam.

11. In an apparatus for determining the physical properties of applied coatings to wires at predetermined temperatures comprising a base member having an anvil and an associated pressure member to test the coating on the Wire, a linearly reciprocable member on the base carrying a chuck relatively rotatable thereto, the chuck being adapted to grip and carry the wire across the anvil and associated pressure member, a housing on the base member covering the anvil and pressure member and the reciprocable member, the housing including a heating element, a temperature regulator for controlling the operation of the heating element, and air circulating means to secure temperature uniformity in the housing.

12. In an apparatus for determining the physical properties of applied coatings is wires at predetermined temperatures comprising a base member having an anvil and an associated pressure member to test the coating on the wire, a linearly Y reciprocable member on the base carrying a chuck relatively rotatable thereto, the chuck being adapted to grip and carry the wire across the anvil and associated pressure member, a housing on the base member covering the anvil and pressure member and the reeiprocable member, the housing including a heating element, a temperature regulator for controlling the operation of the heating element, air circulating means to secure temperature uniformity-in the housing, and a crank means eitending through the walls of the housing for rotating the chuck.

13. In an apparatus for determining the physical properties of electrically insulating coatings on wire of a conductor metal, an indicating'system operative to disclosev failure of the insulating coating when tested by the apparatus comprising, in combination, a source of bias potential, an electronic relay connected to the source of bias potential, the electronic relay provided with an input circuit and an output circuit, means for connecting the conductor metal of the wire being tested in circuit relation with the source of the bias potential, a contact member disposed to engage the insulated wire, and an indicating device responsive to current iiow in the output circuit of the electronic relay, the contact member, the means for connecting the conductor metal, and the conductor metalbeing disposed to establish an electrical circuit when the contact member makes electrical contact with the conductor metal to effect a change of bias potential, the change of bias potential producing a flow of current in the electronic relay from the input circuit tc the out.. put circuit whereby the indicating device is operated.

14. In an apparatus for determining the physical properties of electrically insulating coatings on wire of a conductor metal, an indicating system operative to disclose failure of the insulating coating when tested by the apparatus comprising, in combination, a source of bias potential, an electronic relay connected to the source of bias potential, the electronic relay provided with an input circuit and an output circuit, means for connecting the conductor metal of the wire being tested in circuit relation with the source ot bias potential, a contact member ini-circuit relation with the source of bias potential disposed to engage the insulated conductor, a resistance element in circuit relation with the source of bias potential tc limit the current which may flow through the conductor metal, an indicating device in the output circuit of the electronic relay and responsive to now of direct current and a source of direct current connected to the output circuit from the input circuit by the electronic relay, the contact member, conductor metal, resistance element,l and source of bias potential being disposed to establish an electrical circuit when the contact member makes electrical contact with the conductor metal to effect a change of the biasv potential at the electronic relay, the change of bias potential producing a flow of direct current from the input circuit to the output circuit whereby the indicating device is operated.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 14 in which the indicating device is a neon glow lamp.

CHARLES B. LEAPE. GERALD R. HAYWOOD. 

